Tea Table with Grueby Tiles, ca. 1902-03

An excellent example of its model type, this early tea table features twelve inset ceramic tiles made by the Grueby Faience Company of Boston, a well-known pottery shop that produced wares favored by Arts and Crafts designers for their velvety matte glazes and organic designs. These earthy green tiles, with their leaf-like veining and mossy surface texture, provide a pleasing accent to the dark brown finish of the wood.  Epitomizing Stickley’s early designs, the structure of the table possesses an overhanging top with exposed tenons, a straight apron, and plain splayed legs. Its broad lower shelf is mortised through the side stretchers and fastened with Stickley’s characteristic keyed-through tenons. The components of the joinery serve both structural and decorative functions, thereby highlighting the intrinsic beauty of utility.